Originally posted by JustinShapiroCan you imagine how bad the WWE experience would've been if Punk had left after Money in the Bank 2011? Even more Sheamus and Del Rio? He's been waiting almost three years for the break he was planning on taking, save for a few weeks off last spring. He may as well take it.

I know I likely wouldn't have even been watching by now if that was the case. Punk has saved WWE in a lot of ways, both by being an engaging character (even when he was watered down) and by putting on some of the most consistently great matches in the last 2-3 years.

Assuming it's real, and I think it is to an extent, I say good for him, bad for us. He really does need time off, seemed unhappy with where he was at, and while HHH/Punk was probably the match I'm most looking forward to on the current WrestleMania lineup, I was still leery of the idea that Punk could lose that match.

I think HHH/Punk could still very well happen. There's still a lot of weeks and a PPV between now and WrestleMania, but HHH/Bryan is a lot more justified in the current storylines, especially with Orton/Batista seemingly locked in. So, if Punk leaving opens the door for that, all the better.

I just wonder if this is another death throe in the seemingly-dying lack of control the fans, and even talent, have as they rebel against WWE making the show they want to make in spite of the people that pay and perform for them. I don't think Punk leaving will effect much and that WWE will continue on doing as it's doing.

Stuff like TMZ covering this and WWE unfollowing CM Punk on Twitter makes me believe the people who thought this was a work from the word go are wise people. Or at least we've reached that stage now.

WWE's Twitter was still following the original Sin Cara's twitter for months when it was clear he wasn't coming back. WWE's Twitter follows people no longer in WWE (Lita!) Why in the world would someone bother?

If this is real, they'd want as little attention on it as possible. They could theoretically fix things and Punk would show back up on Monday making meta-references to whatever happened.

If this is fake, you can't quite tell this story on TV, but you can on the internet thru TMZ and thru Twitter following and by removing him lineups. (And either way, a month home will probably do him good.)

Originally posted by thecubsfanStuff like TMZ covering this and WWE unfollowing CM Punk on Twitter makes me believe the people who thought this was a work from the word go are wise people. Or at least we've reached that stage now.

Yeah, that it comes exactly as "TMZ Sports" becomes a Thing Requiring Content is also handy, and this fits into my ongoing theory here about someone sitting HHH down and teaching him about the internet in late 2012.

The one "if it WAS real, then..." thought I get out of this that is interesting is what would Punk actually do if he quit/retired? He seems like the guy with both the profile and pop culture awareness to carve out a professional TV guest/commenter in the Jericho mold, and also the guy least interested or motivated to do that very thing.

If this is a work, I can't help thinking about the point of all of this is. Remember, WWE is a PG program. Maybe I'm out of touch, but are 13 year olds that buy John Cena's crap (or the parents that buy it for them) that interested in whether CM Punk has REALLY left? What will this cause, aside from message board chatter to see if this is a work or not? I guess I should applaud them for trying something different, if this is a work, but this just seems to 'cute' for it's own good.

Kevin Kelly: "Mr. Austin, would you like to comment on Wade Keller's Take that endorsing the XFL hurts your anti-authority character?"

Steve Austin: "Oh shit, he actually said that? I thought the boys in the back were ribbing me!"

Kelly: "No, he really said that. Did they tell you the part about you sitting in the stands, looking all skeptical?"

Well, if this is the case, then there goes my main reason for tuning in.

Yes I know DB is there, but I'm 75% sure he's not going to be involved in the title match at WM, none of this is a work, & they've simply been caught of guard. All of this seems similar to how they screwed around with Punk in 2011 after MITB, it's just this time the fans have revolted.

And to be brutally honest, I'm with Punk on this one. Being in a match with HHH at WMXXX doesn't really equal a big push for him, as this has been done before.

Besides, who's to say that they wouldn't have just had HHH simply beat Punk at WM anyway, merely for the lulz of watching the internet explode?

It seems to me like another chance for Haich to over-involve himself at the top, when nobody wants to see that year after year.

Saw this comment on Bleacher Report, this is only some of it, but the Punk relevant stuff is highlighted:

The WWE is like Lucy and Punk is Charlie Brown having the ball taken out from underneath him every time he goes to kick it. During his 400 plus title reign, Punk was hardly the focal point of what was going on on Raw, it was Cena. That is not his fault, that's the WWE's fault for not MAKING him the focal point, rather than Cena. He can't do anything about that. And what Punk was doing during that time period was better than what Cena was doing. Punk was popular enough to merit making him the focal point of the show, but did they? No, they put Cena in the main event with Laurinaitis and Big Show. Yawn. Meanwhile, Punk was tearing down the house with Daniel Bryan. But finally, when Punk feuds with Cena for the title, THEN and only then can WWE put him in the main event, just so Cena can get more over facing the tyrannical CM Punk. God did Cena and WWE try their best to bury Punk during that feud. Hell, during a closing segment on a couple Raws' before Night of Champions where Brett Hart was there, Cena ACTUALLY said in a promo that Punk had made the title irrelevant and that regardless if Punk gives him a title shot, he'll get one later anyway, which means regardless of the outcome of their match at NoC, Cena will get what he wants eventually anyhow. Way to put your opponent over you idiot. Then at NoC, WWE booked some horeshit finish where Cena appears to have won but it ends up being a draw just so Punk can keep the title and Cena can look like a God amongst men, because there is no way that Cena can ever be booked to look like a loser in any fashion. There is always an excuse for Cena, whether it be an injury, dirty finish, or he was "hot dogging" and got distracted in regards as to why he lost to The Rock at WM 28. For someone who appreciates the entertainment side of wrestling, your favorite wrestler is not that "entertaining" and it's showing because Cena and the matches he's involved in as of late have gotten "boring" chants. Even the segements he is involved in at Raw get those chants. Punk never gets "boring" chants, despite the fact that he's been getting put in terrible feuds as of late. Randy Orton does. Who would have thought that the 2 guys that the WWE has tried force down our throats for the past 10 years would get boring chants? It's like the crowd is tired of seeing their sorry asses in the ring or something. Punk has stated in the past that he doesn't like part timers coming in and getting what they want in favor of guys who work hard all year, but are never given pushes or opportunities to get over. Punk is one of the top guys in the comany, I'm sure him leaving because they didn't give him the ball is the last reason why he supposedly "quit", which is a term I use very loosely, because if I were working for that company right now, busting my ass of week in and week out, only to see some washed up, out of shape a**hole who isn't even as popular as me or some of the other guys on the roster who are my friends get a huge push to the main event at WrestleMania because he's the bosses friend, I'd seek employment elsewhere, whether that be some gym in Louisville, KY or ROH. Needless to say, I can't really say I blame him for being fed up. Sometimes walking away is the only way to create real change.

I don't really think I can agree with that comment. At least, as far as Cena is concerned.

We've just seen Cena lose to Orton two PPVs in a row without getting a win, lose to Daniel Bryan clean and put him and his new finisher over big time. And, while Punk was champion, Cena - despite taking all the main events - never beat him once. Even if they did have a double-pin at NOC (which has happened numerous times with guys like Flair, Steamboat, etc.) I don't think Punk came out of that one looking bad. That was even one of the better Punk-Cena matches.

If anything, WWE was protecting Cena to build to their big Rock-Cena II match at WrestleMania 29 at the time, because they wanted to keep Cena in the main events and keep him as a main event player while warming up Punk to lose to The Rock at the time.

That said, WWE did really mess with Punk's reign, but it's hard to complain since he was champion for so long and only had to cheat to win when he was a heel (which is just how pro-wrestling in general works). He absolutely deserves better and could have been a bigger draw had they positioned him better.

I'm still not entirely sure if this is real or not, but WWE unfollowing Punk on Twitter seems to lend itself to being a work.

Eh, guy's an actor on a TV show. I genuinely don't think he (or Bryan) get nearly as mad as any of us do beyond the "you should use me more because I'm really good" level that both are now past.

I don't get mad at WWE on Punk or Bryan's behalf. I get mad at WWE because I like watching TV and they continually screw up every good storyline they stumble into and interesting character they manage to let on. I stopped watching for a few years, as I think my board posting history would bear out, because they made it so joyless to watch for so long. Since I started again, I've seen them come up with/back into year after year (Randy Orton: Murderer, Nexus Invasion, Summer of Punk, Brock Lesnar: Also Murderer, Daniel Bryan Revolution) of that one great idea that they ultimately fumble and destroy completely and thoroughly, to the point that it's become clear that they kinda don't know what they're doing and get carried by some talented people who accidentally manage to bail them out. (The sudden, glorious rise of Ryback: Cyberbully, which I wished for back in October, proves again that the people playing the characters need more freedom.)

If/when I stop watching again, it'll be for the same reason I stop watching any other show on TV, that the writing is terrible and nobody in charge is able to fix it.

The status of C.M. Punk has become a major talking point in WWE, as he told Vince McMahon about 30 minutes before the start of Raw on 1/27 in Cleveland that he was flying home, and did.

Getting the order of events right, because I think I've been wrong all day. (Part WON, part mentioned on the podcasts.)

- the Rumble happens- writers work on script for Monday- Vince reads script, is concerned of a Rumble repeat- Vince & writers rework the script, notably turning three qualifying matches into a trios match in the main event and adding Daniel Bryan to the opening interviews (to get the Yes out of the fan's system's so they don't do it in other segments)

The story is Punk wanted to talk to Vince all day, Vince is in with the writers until just before the show starts, and Punk says he's going home. (He was scheduled to have a Kane related interview, and Alberto Del Rio/Kofi went longer to take up that time.

Meltzer says the expecting things about frustration over position (and also money), but has no idea what the breaking point was. The plan was still for Punk/HHH when Punk left, I guessed wrong about that TOO.

The article goes on about Punk's mindset and possible plans, including a more detailed breakdown of Punk's MMA abilities than you or I every thought we'd read, but those are the most important bits.

If Ryback could do his own moves without almost killing someone then maybe he could try Punk's on some poor NXT kid. I totally agree with the Bleacher report and his points were the same ones made here. Punk working with part timers lead to him losing three straight times in a row then he left. Yes, he got a spot, but I don't think any one of those matches were in the main event.

The Wee Baby Sheamus.Twitter: @realjoecarfley its a bit more toned down there. A bit.